Maintenance and repairs

Update - September 2017

Following a quinquennial inspection in 2014 the rector Rev. Charles Masheder (who was rector at the time) suggested that a fundraising group be formed to raise funds for the repairs to the Church. Its purpose would be to support the PCC and focus on obtaining grants. This group was formed with five people, who began working on a five-year plan. There are now seven in the group including our new rector, Rev. Steve Hayes.

The first stage included work on the stonework around the beautiful stained glass window. Funding for the work came from Viridor, who agreed to give £9,000, and further funds were raised from events held in the Church and village hall. Further funds came from church funds.

The second stage was estimated to cost £37,000 and included repairs to the stonework, roofing and internal flooring. However, at this stage Rev. Charles Masheder moved away and for a year we were without a rector. During this time work was put on hold. In October 2016 Rev. Steve Hayes became our new rector and under his guidance we have been able to proceed with the next stage. Funding has been secured from Viridor (£18,000), Oxfordshire Historic Churches (£4,000) and Churches Trust (£2,500) for the repairs, which had now become urgent, and costs had risen to £41,000. With this funding and funds raised by ourselves work was able to start in June 2017 and should be completed by the Harvest Weekend.

With feedback from the Community Led Plan we are pleased that the village is in agreement for the next and final stage of the five-year plan, which is to put a servery and toilet inside the Church. We will soon be applying for grants to enable us to proceed with this stage. It is important that we move forward to help preserve this beautiful 700-year-old Grade 2* listed Church, enabling it to be shared by everyone.

We thank everyone for their continued support during a difficult time and we invite you all to come and celebrate the completion of the recent work at our Harvest Festival Weekend when the Church will be beautifully decorated in the harvest colours. We will be having a coffee morning and produce sale on Saturday 30th September between 10am and 1pm and the Harvest Festival Service on Sunday, 1st October at 10.30am.

Update - December 2016

In September 2014 St Nicholas Church had a Quinquennial Inspection and a number of issues were identified relating to repairs and drainage. At that time, and for the period of more than a year during which our church has been without a vicar, making a start on the work was not possible. Although at that time the work was not urgent, we are keen that now we have a new vicar we can begin some work early in 2017.

The group of villagers tasked with looking after the fabric of the building have identified three phases of work to be carried out over the next five years: (1) Any necessary repairs; (2) The provision of a new toilet and ktchen area; (3) Interior painting and exterior lighting.

There are funds available to help with the cost of much of this work, so the group have put together the document below, which includes all the information about the work needed when applying for grants.

Description of proposed works

Stonework repairsReplacement of various sections of stonework where degraded and weakened, including parapets, window sections, hood moulds and stonework to buttresses. Removal of all fungal growth to stone walls and suitable anti-fungal treatment method used. Repointing.Roof repairsRemoval of all temporary flashings installed after leadwork stolen. Replacement with new lead flashings and repair work to parapets where damaged by theft. Re-roofing existing porch, re-using existing tiles and inserting sarking felt. Existing porch roof is leaking. Overhauling rainwater gutters and pipes as required.

Surface water drainageForming French drain around building in order to disperse rainwater collection where there are no gullies. Rainwater damp rising in stone walls is causing degradation to stonework due to damp and then frost action.

Interior floor repairsQuarry tile floors have moved due to inadequate surface water drainage externally. Some tiles have sunk in areas adjacent to the font. Areas of timber flooring also appear to have been affected by the damp conditions. Flooring at edges adjacent to walls are ‘springy’ and need further investigation, with repairs as necessary and precautions taken to prevent reoccurrence.

Bee infestationThere is a recurrent bee infestation which has damaged decoration to the chancel arch. Some redecoration will be required after removal of the bees.

Iron boundary railingsThese have recently been repainted, however some of the supporting stonework base needs renovation.

Description of the buildingA 19th-century porch shelters a 14th-century south doorway. The north wall has heavy buttresses assumed to be an attempt to prevent movement in the building. There is an elegant, quite tall east window which has previously undergone emergency repairs where stonework mullions were much degraded and weakened. The chancel is 13th century, with a 14th-century priest’s door to the south, plus a 14th-century two-seat sedilia, which is sumptuously carved with foliage, cinquefoiled arches, tall canopies and pinnacles. The sedilia is of a later date than the rest of the chancel, and is thought to have been removed from Missenden Abbey at the time of the Dissolution of the Monasteries and inserted into this older wall. There is also a medieval octagonal chalice-shaped font, 18th-century turned communion rails and 18th-century Baroque wall tablets. The north wall of the nave contains traces of a door that has been blocked and covered with a 14th century wall painting of St Christopher. The image is very faint but it is possible to make out the saint holding his staff, and a small chapel (possibly that of Ralph the Hermit at Muswell) in the background. The painting was discovered in 1856 and completely uncovered and restored in 1935 by E.T. Long of Oxford. It had been covered with a thin layer of plaster on which was written the Creed within a scroll border. It is presumed that the painting had been plastered over during the Civil War, 1642–45, to prevent damage by Parliamentarian troops who were besieging nearby Boarstall Tower. The 16th-century tower, with diagonal buttresses and crenellated parapet, has a ring of five bells. In 1553, the tower contained three small bells, a sanctus and hand-bells. Two bells were recast at Bicester bell foundry in 1729 and 1738. The other was recast at Bristol in 1887, when two more were added. On the outside of the church at the eastern end of the south wall is a scratch or mass dial, distinguishable by a hole in the wall where a dowel pin protruded.Buried in St Nicholas Churchyard is John Drinkwater (1882–1937), a poet, playwright, essayist, anthologist, actor, theatre producer and director, and a member of the group known as the ‘Dymock poets’, which included Rupert Brooke. In the belfry is part of an aircraft propeller dedicated to the memory of Lt Richard Stone, a First World War pilot who is buried in a British military cemetery in France. The Stone family were land owners and farmers in the area and, though they did not live here, Lt Stone and his family were frequent visitors to Piddington and had a close connection with the village, as do present members of the Stone family, who still regularly visit the church.During 2016, the weekly church services consisted of two Holy Communions, one family service, and one evensong. In addition, three funerals and one wedding were held in the church. The Church is open every day of the year during daylight hours, and there is a visitors’ book.The bell ringers of Piddington meet regularly for practice, and ring the bells for all religious and other special occasions, plus weddings, funerals and some Sunday services.

Future projectsThe Church Committee have identified three phases of work needed, to be carried out over the next five years. These are, in order of importance: (1) any necessary repairs to the fabric of the building; (2) the building of a toilet and small kitchen area; (3) interior painting and possibly exterior church lighting. These improvements to the facilities will make the building more attractive for village functions and allow more members of our community to make use of it, especially children. A Community Led Plan has just been completed in the village and the results of this indicate that these features have been identified by villagers as very desirable. The Church Committee and the Village Hall Committee will need to liaise in order to encourage more use of the church facilities.

Additional commentsPiddington is a small village in a rural area consisting of about 163 occupied properties housing about 380 people. The Church and the Village Hall are the only village assets. Although church attendances are between 45 and 60, depending on the occasion, fundraising functions held there are usually a sell-out. This is clear evidence that many villagers, although they may not themselves be churchgoers, feel the need for this building, which happens to be a church. It has been said ‘A dead church is a dead village’. St Nicholas Church is a hugely important historic building in our community. It has been part of the life of the village since the 13th century, and villagers are keen to see it remain so.Events are held throughout the year to raise funds for the repairs needed and the longer-term maintenance that is essential to keep the fabric of the building secure and in good condition. In 2016, two concerts were held in the church, each of which attracted in excess of 70 people. The annual Harvest Festival coffee morning also raises money for the church fabric fund, as do the village carol singers, who perform at a Christmas service then walk through the village singing carols and taking donations. Every Good Friday there is a walk from the church to the site of the chapel on Muswell Hill where Ralph the Hermit first started religious services. This Easter pilgrimage is popular with villagers and local historians.For more information about St Nicholas Church, including a 360 degree panoramic view of the interior, please see our website: http://www.piddingtonvillageoxfordshire.org.uk/st-nicholas-church.html